PRIMARY eSIM ACTIVATION FOR WIRELESS DEVICE WITH PHYSICAL SIM

ABSTRACT

This Application sets forth techniques for provisioning and activating an electronic subscriber identity module (eSIM) as a primary SIM for a mobile wireless device that includes a limited functionality physical SIM (pSIM) associated with a particular mobile network operator (MNO) and installed in the mobile wireless device at a time of manufacture. An eSIM associated with the particular MNO is reserved during a sales order process and later activated during device activation after receipt by a user using a secure over-the-air (OTA) cellular connection enabled by the limited functionality pSIM, when a non-cellular connection or other Internet accessible connection is available. Dual SIM device configuration processes can be suppressed during activation of the eSIM. After successful attachment of the mobile wireless device to a cellular wireless network of the particular MNO using credentials of the eSIM, the limited functionality pSIM is disabled.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisionalapplication Ser. No. 17/446,939, entitled “PRIMARY eSIM ACTIVATION FORWIRELESS DEVICE WITH PHYSICAL SIM,” filed Sep. 3, 2021, the content ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for allpurposes.

FIELD

The described embodiments set forth techniques for activating anelectronic subscriber identity module (eSIM) as a primary SIMprovisioned for a mobile wireless device that includes a limitedfunctionality physical SIM (pSIM) at time of manufacture. An eSIM isreserved for the mobile wireless device as part of a sales order andlater activated when device activation of the mobile wireless deviceoccurs after receipt by a user using an over-the-air (OTA) connectionestablished via the limited functionality pSIM.

BACKGROUND

Many mobile wireless devices are configured to use removable UniversalIntegrated Circuit Cards (UICCs) that enable the mobile wireless devicesto access services provided by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). Inparticular, each UICC includes at least a microprocessor and a read-onlymemory (ROM), where the ROM is configured to store an MNO profile thatthe wireless device can use to register and interact with an MNO toobtain wireless services via a cellular wireless network. A profile mayalso be referred to as subscriber identity module (SIM). Typically, aUICC takes the form of a small removable card, commonly referred to as aSIM card, which is inserted into a UICC-receiving bay of a mobilewireless device. In more recent implementations, UICCs are beingembedded directly into system boards of wireless devices as embeddedUICCs (eUICCs), which can provide advantages over traditional, removableUICCs. The eUICCs can include a rewritable memory that can facilitateinstallation, modification, and/or deletion of one or more electronicSIMs (eSIMs) on the eUICC, where the eSIMs can provide for new and/ordifferent services and/or updates for accessing extended featuresprovided by MNOs. An eUICC can store a number of MNO profiles—alsoreferred to herein as eSIMs—and can eliminate the need to includeUICC-receiving bays in wireless devices.

A mobile wireless device, at initial acquisition by an end user via asales channel, can be pre-ordered in various configurations, such as: i)reserving a pSIM as a primary SIM for access to services of a particularMNO, ii) reserving an eSIM as a primary SIM for access to services ofthe particular MNO but excluding the pSIM, and iii) without designatinga pSIM or eSIM for a particular MNO, among others. Mobile wirelessdevices purchased as SIM-free, can require a user to acquire and inserta fully active pSIM card in order to activate the mobile wireless devicefor cellular wireless service or to activate the mobile wireless devicevia a non-cellular wireless connection, which may not be available.There exists a need for methods to provide for purchasing a mobilewireless device with an eSIM reserved for the mobile wireless device andsubsequently activated, as part of a device activation process performedon the mobile wireless device after acquisition by the user, whenneither a cellular connection via a fully functional pSIM card nor anon-cellular connection is available for the mobile wireless device touse for the activation process.

SUMMARY

This Application sets forth techniques for activating an electronicsubscriber identity module (eSIM) as a primary SIM provisioned for amobile wireless device that includes a limited functionality physicalSIM (pSIM) associated with a particular mobile network operator (MNO) ata time of manufacture. An eSIM associated with the MNO is reserved forthe mobile wireless device as part of a sales order and later activatedwhen device activation of the mobile wireless device occurs afterreceipt by a user using an over-the-air (OTA) connection established viathe limited functionality pSIM. During purchase of the mobile wirelessdevice, a user can select a device configuration option for eSIMinstallation as a primary SIM in place of a physical SIM as the primarySIM to access services of a particular MNO. The mobile wireless devicecan be manufactured with a limited functionality pSIM (and not include afully functional pSIM), where the limited functionality pSIM can be usedwhen activation of the primary eSIM requires an over-the-air (OTA)cellular connection to access one or more manufacturer servers and/orMNO network-based servers. For example, a non-cellular connection, suchas a Wi-Fi connection or a hard-wired connection, such as via acomputer, to gain access to the network-based servers for activation ofthe eSIM can be unavailable. The limited functionality pSIM can be usedto establish the OTA cellular connection to download and activate theprimary eSIM for the mobile wireless device. In some embodiments, duringthe manufacturing process, an integrated circuit card identifier (ICCID)value associated with the limited functionality pSIM installed in themobile wireless device is provided by the manufacturing facility to adevice manufacturer server. As part of a sales order process, a devicemanufacturer server receives from an MNO server a message indicatingthat an eSIM is reserved for provisioning as a primary SIM to the mobilewireless device. The message can include identifiers for the mobilewireless device and for the reserved eSIM. The message can also includean indication that activation of the eSIM is delayed until deviceactivation of the mobile wireless device. During the device activationprocess for the mobile wireless device, after receipt of the mobilewireless device by the user, activation of the eSIM is authorized andconfirmed by communication between the mobile wireless device and bothdevice manufacturer servers and MNO servers. The mobile wireless devicecan obtain, from a device manufacturer server, eSIM installationinformation, which in some embodiments is accompanied by the ICCID valueof the limited functionality pSIM associated with the mobile wirelessdevice during manufacturing. When available, the mobile wireless devicecan determine whether the ICCID value received from the devicemanufacturer server matches a corresponding ICCID value of a pSIMinstalled in the mobile wireless device. When the match is confirmed anda cellular connection is required, the mobile wireless device canestablish an OTA cellular connection using the limited functionalitypSIM to a specific access point name (APN) used for SIM activation bythe MNO. The specific APN can be additionally used to carry data trafficto download and install the eSIM via the OTA cellular connection to themobile wireless device. In some embodiments, when the ICCID value is notavailable, the mobile wireless device alternatively determines whetherthe pSIM included in the mobile wireless device corresponds to aparticular MNO, e.g., using information from a carrier bundle includedin the mobile wireless device, and whether the pSIM is a limitedfunctionality pSIM, e.g., by communicating with an entitlement server ofthe particular MNO. After successful installation of the eSIM, themobile wireless device includes a fully functional eSIM and a limitedfunctionality pSIM. In some embodiments, the mobile wireless device cansuppress dual SIM dual standby (DSDS) device configuration processesthat may arise, when the mobile wireless device is configured with asingle, fully active eSIM only. In some embodiments, the mobile wirelessdevice re-checks whether certain conditions are met before suppressingthe DSDS device configuration processes, e.g., by re-checking the pSIMICCID value and limited functionality state of the pSIM included in themobile wireless device. After installation of the eSIM, the mobilewireless device can use a monitor mode to account for propagation delayof MNO activation processes through MNO back-end servers, e.g., bydisabling and re-enabling the eSIM until initial attachment of themobile wireless device to a cellular wireless network of the MNOassociated with the eSIM succeeds. After successful attachment to thecellular wireless network of the MNO using credentials of the installedeSIM, the mobile wireless device can disable the limited functionalitypSIM.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, theprinciples of the described embodiments.

This Summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some exampleembodiments so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects ofthe subject matter described herein. Accordingly, it will be appreciatedthat the above-described features are merely examples and should not beconstrued to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter describedherein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of thesubject matter described herein will become apparent from the followingDetailed Description, Figures, and Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will be readily understood by the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein likereference numerals designate like structural elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of different components of anexemplary system configured to implement the various techniquesdescribed herein, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a more detailed view of exemplarycomponents of the system of FIG. 1 , according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary sales order page including an optionfor selecting an eSIM subscription for a mobile wireless device,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3B illustrates an exemplary sales distribution of multiple SKUs fora mobile wireless devices, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4A illustrates an exemplary sequence of user interface screens fordual SIM setup for a mobile wireless device, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 4B illustrates an example of an inadvertent dual SIM setuppresentation for a mobile wireless device, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 5A illustrates an exemplary device activation and provisioningnetwork for a mobile wireless device, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5B illustrates an exemplary activation flow for a physical SIMequipped mobile wireless device, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates exemplary mapping of application data traffic toaccess point names (APNs) for connectivity of a mobile wireless device,according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate an exemplary sequence of actionsperformed to provision and activate an eSIM as a primary SIM for amobile wireless device, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate an exemplary activation flow for an eSIM as aprimary SIM for a mobile wireless device, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate an alternative exemplary sequence of actionsperformed to provision and activate an eSIM as a primary SIM for amobile wireless device, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 9C illustrates a dual SIM setup flow for the alternative eSIMactivation process shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary monitor mode state machine for initialactivation of an eSIM for a mobile wireless device, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram of exemplary elements of a mobilewireless device, according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Representative applications of methods and apparatus according to thepresent application are described in this section. These examples arebeing provided solely to add context and aid in the understanding of thedescribed embodiments. It will thus be apparent to one skilled in theart that the described embodiments may be practiced without some or allof these specific details. In other instances, well known process stepshave not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring the described embodiments. Other applications are possible,such that the following examples should not be taken as limiting.

In the following detailed description, references are made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of the description and in whichare shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in accordancewith the described embodiments. Although these embodiments are describedin sufficient detail to enable one skilled in the art to practice thedescribed embodiments, it is understood that these examples are notlimiting; such that other embodiments may be used, and changes may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the describedembodiments.

This Application sets forth techniques for activating an electronicsubscriber identity module (eSIM) as a primary SIM provisioned for amobile wireless device that includes a limited functionality physicalSIM (pSIM) associated with a particular mobile network operator (MNO) ata time of manufacture. A single stock keeping unit (SKU) can be used bya manufacturing facility, a distribution entity, and/or a retail salesoutlet for mobile wireless devices that include a limited functionalitypSIM associated with the particular MNO. The limited functionality pSIMcan be used to establish connections to download, install, andsubsequently activate a primary eSIM for the mobile wireless device orcan be used to update and activate the pSIM to become a fully functionalpSIM for the mobile wireless device to access cellular wireless servicesof the particular MNO. A separate SKU for a mobile wireless device thatdoes not include a pSIM, e.g., for an eSIM only mobile wireless devicefor the particular MNO, is not required, as the limited functionalitypSIM can be used for provisioning and activation of an eSIM for the eSIMonly mobile wireless device. The limited functionality pSIM can besubsequently disabled when cellular wireless connectivity to theparticular MNO using the provisioned and activated eSIM succeeds.

An eSIM associated with the particular MNO is reserved for the mobilewireless device as part of a sales order and later activated when deviceactivation of the mobile wireless device occurs, e.g., after receipt bya user using an over-the-air (OTA) connection established via thelimited functionality pSIM. During purchase of the mobile wirelessdevice, a user can select a device configuration option for eSIMinstallation as a primary SIM in place of a physical SIM to accessservices of a particular MNO. The mobile wireless device can bemanufactured with the limited functionality pSIM (and not include afully functional pSIM), where the limited functionality pSIM can be usedwhen activation of the primary eSIM requires an over-the-air (OTA)cellular connection to access one or more manufacturer and MNOnetwork-based servers. For example, a non-cellular connection, such as aWi-Fi connection or a hard-wired connection, such as via a computer, togain access to both MNO and device manufacturer network-based serversfor activation of the eSIM may be unavailable to use for activation ofthe primary eSIM. The limited functionality pSIM can be used toestablish the OTA cellular connection to download and activate theprimary eSIM for the mobile wireless device, particularly when anon-cellular connection or other Internet reachable connection cannototherwise be established for the mobile wireless device. In someembodiments, data traffic for downloading and installation of theprimary eSIM can be through a designated activation access point name(APN) available for OTA connections via the limited functionality pSIM.In some embodiments, the designated activation APN is specific to theparticular MNO associated with the limited functionality pSIM.

As part of a sales order process, a device manufacturer server receivesfrom an MNO server a message indicating an eSIM is reserved forprovisioning to the mobile wireless device, the message includingidentifiers for the mobile wireless device and for the reserved eSIM.The message can also include an indication that activation of the eSIMis delayed until device activation of the mobile wireless device. Duringthe device activation process for the mobile wireless device, afterreceipt of the mobile wireless device by the user, activation of theeSIM is authorized and confirmed by communication between the mobilewireless device and both device manufacturer servers and MNO servers viathe OTA cellular connection using the limited functionality pSIM.

The mobile wireless device can obtain, from a device manufacturerserver, eSIM installation information, which in some embodiments isaccompanied by the ICCID value of the limited functionality pSIMassociated with the mobile wireless device during manufacturing. Whenthe ICCID value of the limited functionality pSIM installed in themobile wireless device at the time of manufacture is available, themobile wireless device can determine whether the ICCID value receivedfrom the device manufacturer server matches a corresponding ICCID valueof a pSIM installed in the mobile wireless device. When the match isconfirmed and a cellular connection is required, the mobile wirelessdevice can establish the OTA cellular connection using the limitedfunctionality pSIM to the specific APN used for SIM activation by theMNO. The specific APN can be additionally used to carry data traffic todownload and install the eSIM via the OTA cellular connection to themobile wireless device. In some embodiments, when the ICCID value of thelimited functionality pSIM installed in the mobile wireless device atthe time of manufacture is not available, the mobile wireless devicealternatively determines i) whether the pSIM included in the mobilewireless device corresponds to a particular MNO, e.g., using informationfrom a carrier bundle included in the mobile wireless device, and ii)whether the pSIM is a limited functionality pSIM, e.g., by communicatingwith an entitlement server of the particular MNO to determine a statusof the pSIM.

After successful installation of the eSIM, the mobile wireless deviceincludes both a fully functional eSIM and a limited functionality pSIM,which can resemble a dual SIM configuration. In some embodiments, themobile wireless device can suppress dual SIM dual standby (DSDS) deviceconfiguration processes that may arise, when the mobile wireless deviceis configured with a single, fully active eSIM only (and does notinclude a fully functional pSIM). In some embodiments, the mobilewireless device checks whether certain conditions are met beforesuppressing the DSDS device configuration processes, e.g., i) byre-checking matching of the presently installed pSIM ICCID value to thelimited functionality pSIM (previously installed at time of manufacture)and/or ii) by determining the pSIM included in the mobile wirelessdevice is a warm pSIM with limited functionality for establishingcellular connections (and is not a cold pSIM with no cellular connectioncapability or a hot pSIM with fully functional cellular connectioncapability). After installation of the eSIM, the mobile wireless devicecan use a monitor mode to account for propagation delay that may beincurred by MNO activation processes to complete activation of the eSIMthrough MNO back-end servers. For example, the monitor mode can includerepeatedly disabling and re-enabling the eSIM until initial attachmentof the mobile wireless device to a cellular wireless network of the MNOassociated with the eSIM succeeds. After successful attachment to thecellular wireless network of the MNO using credentials of the installedeSIM, the mobile wireless device can disable the limited functionalitypSIM.

These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to FIGS.1-11 ; however, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate thatthe detailed description given herein with respect to these figures isfor explanatory purposes only and should not be construed as limiting.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of different components of a system100 that is configured to implement the various techniques describedherein, according to some embodiments. More specifically, FIG. 1illustrates a high-level overview of the system 100, which, as shown,includes a mobile wireless device 102, which can also be referred to asa wireless device, a wireless device, a mobile device, a user equipment(UE) and the like, a group of base stations 112-1 to 112-N that aremanaged by different Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) 114, and a set ofprovisioning servers 116 that are in communication with the MNOs 114.Additional MNO infrastructure servers, such as used for accountmanagement and billing are not shown. The mobile wireless device 102 canrepresent a mobile computing device (e.g., an iPhone® or an iPad® byApple®), the base stations 112-1 to 112-n can represent cellularwireless network entities including evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs or eNBs)and/or next generation NodeBs (gNodeBs or gNB) that are configured tocommunicate with the mobile wireless device 102, and the MNOs 114 canrepresent different wireless service providers that provide specificcellular wireless services (e.g., voice and data) to which the mobilewireless device 102 can subscribe, such as via a subscription accountfor a user of the mobile wireless device 102.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the mobile wireless device 102 can includeprocessing circuitry, which can include one or more processor(s) 104 anda memory 106, an embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) 108,and a baseband wireless circuitry 110 used for transmission andreception of cellular wireless radio frequency signals. The basebandwireless circuitry 110 can include analog hardware components, such asantennas and amplifiers, as well as digital processing components, suchas signal processors (and/or general/limited purpose processors) andassociated memory. In some embodiments, the mobile wireless device 102includes one or more physical UICCs 118, also referred to as SubscriberIdentity Module (SIM) cards, in addition to or substituting for theeUICC 108. The components of the mobile wireless device 102 worktogether to enable the mobile wireless device 102 to provide usefulfeatures to a user of the mobile wireless device 102, such as cellularwireless network access, non-cellular wireless network access, localizedcomputing, location-based services, and Internet connectivity. The eUICC108 can be configured to store multiple electronic SIMs (eSIMs) foraccessing cellular wireless services provided by different MNOs 114 byconnecting to their respective cellular wireless networks through basestations 112-1 to 112-N. For example, the eUICC 108 can be configured tostore and manage one or more eSIMs for one or more MNOs 114 fordifferent subscriptions to which the mobile wireless device 102 isassociated. To be able to access services provided by an MNO, an eSIM isreserved for subsequent download and installation to the eUICC 108. Insome embodiments, the eUICC 108 obtains one or more eSIMs from one ormore associated provisioning servers 116 as part of a deviceinitialization of the mobile wireless device 102, such as whenpurchasing a new mobile wireless device 102. The provisioning servers116 can be maintained by a manufacturer of the mobile wireless device102, the MNOs 114, third party entities, and the like. Communication ofeSIM data between an MNO provisioning server 116 and the eUICC 108 (orbetween the MNO provisioning server 116 and processing circuitry of themobile wireless device 102 external to the eUICC 108, e.g., theprocessor 104) can use a secure communication channel.

The mobile wireless device 102, upon initial acquisition by a user, canlack an activated eSIM and require the user to download a functionaleSIM for the MNO 114 from a corresponding MNO provisioning server 116.The mobile wireless device 102 can be manufactured to include a physicalSIM (pSIM) with limited functionality, e.g., to connect to particularservers or access point names (APNs) associated with the MNO 114 foreSIM provisioning. As part of a sales order process, the user of themobile wireless device 102 can opt for an eSIM (in place of a fullyfunctional pSIM) for the mobile wireless device 102. Network-basedservers managed by the MNO 114 associated with the eSIM can communicatewith additional network-based servers managed by a device manufacturerand/or by a third party entity to integrate a device activation processfor the mobile wireless device 102 with provisioning and activation ofone or more eSIMs to the mobile wireless device 102. Upon activation ofthe eSIM, the mobile wireless device 102 can connect to the cellularwireless network of the MNO 114 to access services provided therefrom.After successful connection to the cellular wireless network of the MNO114, the mobile wireless device 102 can disable the limitedfunctionality pSIM included in the mobile wireless device 102 at thetime of manufacture.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a more detailed view 200 ofparticular components of the mobile wireless device 102 of FIG. 1 ,according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 2 , the processor(s)104, in conjunction with memory 106, can implement a main operatingsystem (OS) 202 that is configured to execute applications 204 (e.g.,native OS applications and user applications). As also shown in FIG. 2 ,the eUICC 108 can be configured to implement an eUICC OS 206 that isconfigured to manage hardware resources of the eUICC 108 (e.g., aprocessor and a memory embedded in the eUICC 108). The eUICC OS 206 canalso be configured to manage eSIMs 208 that are stored by the eUICC 108,e.g., by downloading, installing, deleting, enabling, disabling,modifying, or otherwise performing management of the eSIMs 208 withinthe eUICC 108 and providing baseband wireless circuitry 110 with accessto the eSIMs 208 to provide access to wireless services for the mobilewireless device 102. The eUICC 108 OS can include an eSIM manager 210,which can perform management functions for various eSIMs 208. Accordingto the illustration shown in FIG. 2 , each eSIM 208 can include a numberof applets 212 that define the manner in which the eSIM 208 operates.For example, one or more of the applets 212, when implemented inconjunction with baseband wireless circuitry 110 and the eUICC 108, canbe configured to enable the mobile wireless device 102 to communicatewith an MNO 114 and provide useful features (e.g., phone calls andinternet access) to a user of the mobile wireless device 102.

As also shown in FIG. 2 , the baseband wireless circuitry 110 of themobile wireless device 102 can include a baseband OS 214 that isconfigured to manage hardware resources of the baseband wirelesscircuitry 110 (e.g., a processor, a memory, different radio components,etc.). According to some embodiments, the baseband wireless circuitry110 can implement a baseband manager 216 that is configured to interfacewith the eUICC 108 to establish a secure channel with an MNOprovisioning server 116 and obtaining information (such as eSIM data)from the MNO provisioning server 116 for purposes of managing eSIMs 208.The baseband manager 216 can be configured to implement services 218,which represents a collection of software modules that are instantiatedby way of the various applets 212 of enabled eSIMs 208 that are includedin the eUICC 108. For example, services 218 can be configured to managedifferent connections between the mobile wireless device 102 and MNOs114 according to the different eSIMs 208 that are enabled within theeUICC 108.

FIG. 3A illustrates a diagram 300 of an exemplary sales order pageincluding an option for selecting an eSIM subscription for a mobilewireless device 102. The eSIM option can be presented along with anoption for a physical SIM card (UICC) after a user has selected aparticular MNO (wireless carrier) to which to subscribe for access tocellular wireless services for the mobile wireless device 102. The usercan purchase the mobile wireless device 102 online via a devicemanufacturer website, a third party website, an MNO website, or thelike. The user can also purchase the mobile wireless device 102 at aretail store, such as provided by the MNO 114, by the devicemanufacturer, or by a third party. If the user chooses an eSIM option,then the user can also elect to re-use an existing phone number to portwith the eSIM 208 to the mobile wireless device 102 being purchased orto use a new phone number. The use can be asked whether they are anexisting customer of the MNO 114 or a new customer and applicable usercredential information (to verify an existing customer or to onboard anew customer) can be obtained to authorize purchase of the mobilewireless device 102 and/or transfer of a cellular wireless servicesubscription to the mobile wireless device 102 (e.g., to use with theeSIM 208 option, if selected).

FIG. 3B illustrates a diagram 350 of a manufacturing, distribution, andsales flow for mobile wireless devices 102 configured for a particularMNO 114. An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) manufacturing facilitycan assemble mobile wireless devices 102 in a first configuration thatincludes a pSIM on a UICC 118 (intended for pSIM activation) and uses afirst stock keeping unit (SKU) 302 for inventory management and in asecond configuration that excludes the pSIM/UICC 118 (intended for eSIM208 activation) and uses a second SKU 304 for inventory management. ThepSIM SKU 302 can correspond to a sales order for a mobile wirelessdevice 102 with a pSIM as a primary SIM, while the eSIM SKU 304 cancorrespond to a sales order for a mobile wireless device with an eSIM208 as a primary SIM. This arrangement can require the OEM manufacturingfacility, intermediate sales distribution network entities, andindividual retail sales outlets (managed by the OEM and/or by the MNO114) to maintain and manage inventory of the distinct SKUs 302/304 fortwo types of configurations for the mobile wireless device 102. Thedistribution of configuration types ordered can vary over time, whichresults in inventory management inefficiencies to account for theunpredictability and changing customer preferences for the use of a pSIMor an eSIM 208 as a primary SIM. As discussed further herein,manufacturing a single configuration that includes a limitedfunctionality pSIM that can be used to configure the mobile wirelessdevice 102 to use a pSIM or an eSIM 208 as a primary SIM after receiptby a user can improve manufacturing, distribution, and sales channelefficiencies. Mobile wireless devices 102 can be configured for aparticular MNO 114 with a limited functionality pSIM programmed for thatparticular MNO 114 at the OEM manufacturing facility. Depending oncustomer choice, e.g., at a time of sales order, the limitedfunctionality pSIM can be used to activate a fully functional pSIM (onthe UICC 118) or to provision and activate a fully functional eSIM 208(on an eUICC 108) as a primary SIM on the mobile wireless device 102.

FIG. 4A illustrates a diagram 400 of a dual SIM setup user interfacethat can be provided to a user during configuration of a mobile wirelessdevice 102, e.g., to configure multiple, distinct phone lines fordifferent services. Each phone line can be associated with a distinctSIM. When adding a cellular phone line to a mobile wireless device 102,the user can select which of multiple cellular phone lines are used asdefault lines for different services, such as for voice calling, shortmessage system (SMS) or other messaging applications, additionalapplications that can access cellular services, cellular data, etc. Theuser can also choose distinct labels for the different phone lines. Thelimited functionality pSIM, installed in the mobile wireless device 102at the time of manufacture, is intended for installation and activationof a fully functional SIM, eSIM 208 or pSIM, as a primary SIM on themobile wireless device 102. When installing an eSIM 208 as a primary SIMusing the limited functionality pSIM during a device activation andconfiguration process, the mobile wireless device 102 can suppress anydual SIM setup processes, as the combination of the limitedfunctionality pSIM and a fully functional eSIM 208 does not correspondto a dual SIM configuration. Without such suppression, the dual SIMsetup process can be inadvertently presented to (and confuse) the userduring device activation and configuration as indicated in FIG. 4B.

FIG. 4B illustrates a flowchart 450 of an inadvertent presentation of adual SIM setup process when configuring a mobile wireless device 102using a limited functionality pSIM to install and activate an eSIM 208as a primary SIM. At 452, the mobile wireless device 102 is shipped froman OEM manufacturing facility via a sales distribution network to aretail sales outlet for sale to a user or directly to a user. At 454,after receipt by a user, the mobile wireless device 102 is activated anda fully functional eSIM 208 installed on the mobile wireless device 102via an on-device activation flow using the limited functionality pSIM toestablish a secure cellular connection for authentication anddownloading of the eSIM 208. At 456, the mobile wireless device 102 isconfigured with a limited functionality pSIM, which can also be referredto as a warm pSIM, and a fully functional eSIM 208. This configurationcan appear to be a dual SIM configuration when the warm pSIM is notdistinguished from a fully functional pSIM. At 458, one or more userinterface screens regarding dual SIM setup can be inadvertentlypresented to a user of the mobile wireless device 102. The user couldthen erroneously select the limited functionality pSIM rather than theeSIM 208 as part of the dual SIM setup process. To avoid thisinadvertent presentation of dual SIM setup and potential resulting errorconditions, the mobile wireless device 102 can confirm the presence of alimited functionality pSIM rather than a fully functional pSIM andsuppress presentation of the dual SIM setup process on the mobilewireless device 102 during device configuration.

FIG. 5A illustrates a diagram 500 of elements of communication networkinvolved in device activation and SIM provisioning, installation, andactivation for a mobile wireless device 102. Data connectivity for themobile wireless device 102 can be required for device activation and SIMprovisioning. In some scenarios, a non-cellular access network 504 canbe available for the mobile wireless device 102 to connect to variousdevice manufacturer managed and/or MNO 114 managed servers viaintervening communication networks 506. In some scenarios, anon-cellular access network 504 may be not available, and the mobilewireless device 102 may rely on access to a cellular access network 502for activation of the mobile wireless device 102 and for SIMprovisioning, e.g., downloading and installation of an eSIM 208, to themobile wireless device 102. In some embodiments, a limited functionalitypSIM can provide access to the cellular access network 502, e.g., whenaccess to a non-cellular access network 504 that can interconnect to therequired servers is not available. Rural areas of some countries canhave sparse or no availability to non-cellular access networks 504 foractivation of the mobile wireless device 102 and/or SIM provisioning.Similarly, certain entities, such as government-managed facilities orprivate companies can restrict the use of non-cellular access networks504 for mobile wireless devices 102. Under such scenarios, access tonetwork-based servers for activation and provisioning can require accessto a cellular wireless network instead. An OEM manufacturer of themobile wireless device 102 can maintain multiple network-based serversto assist with management of the mobile wireless device 102, e.g., adevice manufacturer managed device services server 508, which canprovide management for device manufacturer supplied services to themobile wireless device 102, and a device manufacturer managed MNOservices server 510, which can provide a device manufacturer anchor formanagement of MNO supplied services to the mobile wireless device 102.An MNO 114 can also provide their own set of servers, including variousMNO infrastructure servers 512 for managing cellular access,authentication, authorization, subscription, billing, and otherassociated management functions for cellular wireless services for themobile wireless device 102, and MNO provisioning servers 116 from whichSIM firmware, e.g., eSIMs 208, OTA updates for eSIMs 208 or pSIMs, etc.,can be accessed, with appropriate authentication, by the mobile wirelessdevice 102.

FIG. 5B illustrates a diagram 550 of an exemplary activation flow for aphysical SIM (pSIM) on a UICC 118 of a mobile wireless device 102. At502, the UICC 118 can be manufactured with no data access capabilityavailable. The UICC 118 in this state can be referred to as a cold pSIM,with no access to data services. At 504, after appropriateconfiguration, which can include installation of firmware, the UICC 118can be shipped with a limited functionality pSIM installed thereon. TheUICC 118 in this state can be referred to as a warm pSIM, with limitedaccess to specific data services, e.g., only to particular servers oraccess point names (APNs) and/or only usable for particular functions,such as for downloading, enabling, installing, enabling, or otherwiseactivating an eSIM 208 for the mobile wireless device 102. At 506, themobile wireless device 102 can perform an activation process, which caninclude activating with device manufacturer servers and authenticatingwith one or more MNO servers using the limited access capability of thewarm pSIM to communicate via a cellular access network. At 508, themobile wireless device 102 can further uses the limited functionalitypSIM to provision a fully functional pSIM from an MNO provisioningserver 116. The fully functional pSIM, once installed and activated, canbe referred to as a hot pSIM, with full access to data and voiceservices for a subscription to which the user subscribes with the MNO114.

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram 600 for matching data traffic of differentclient applications (or client application types) on a mobile wirelessdevice 102 to specific data connection types that interface toparticular packet data protocol (PDP) context access point nodes (APNs).Different APNs can have different traffic flow templates that particularapplication data traffic. Each data connection can have propertiesconfigured as applicable to the client application's data requirements.Certain APNs can be available via a cellular wireless connection onlywhile a fully functional SIM is active on the mobile wireless device102. Example application traffic mappings include a PhoneData APN 624used for media applications, such as a streaming media application 602that connects via an Internet data connection 614 and a multimediamessaging service (MMS) application 604 that connects via an MMS dataconnection 616. Similarly, a HotSpot APN 626 can be used for a dataconnectivity application 606 to communicate via a wireless data modemconnection 618, while an IMS APN 628 can be used for an IMS application608 to connect via an IP multimedia data connection 620. Access to theabove described PDP context nodes can require either a non-cellularconnection or a cellular connection via a fully functional SIM (eSIM 208or pSIM).

A separate wireless activation APN 630 may be available for use via alimited functionality pSIM, such as when a non-cellular wirelessconnection is not available or a fully functional SIM is not availableon the mobile wireless device 102. The wireless activation APN 630 canbe used by an operating system (OS) data activation application 610 whenactivating the mobile wireless device 102 via an over-the-air (OTA)activation data connection 622. The wireless activation APN 630 canfurther be used by a SIM on-device activation (ODA) application 612 forprovisioning and activation of an eSIM 208 as described herein.Connection to the wireless activation APN 630 can be available based onthe availability of the limited functionality pSIM in the mobilewireless device 102 prior to activation of a fully functional SIM on themobile wireless device 102.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate diagrams 700, 750, 770 for activation ofan eSIM 208 on a mobile wireless device 102 equipped with a limitedfunctionality pSIM at a time of manufacture. The mobile wireless device102 can be assembled and packaged at an OEM manufacturing facility 712to include the limited functionality pSIM. At 720, the OEM manufacturingfacility 712 can send a message to a device manufacturer managed deviceservices server 508, the message including an indication of anintegrated circuit card identifier (ICCID) value for the limitedfunctionality pSIM included in the mobile wireless device 102. In someembodiments, the limited functionality pSIM is restricted for use to aparticular mobile network operator (MNO) 114 (or to a set of associatedMNOs 114, such as for virtual MNOs (VMNOs) used by an MNO 114 to offerspecial services). Subsequently, a user can enter a sales order forpurchase of a mobile wireless device 102 to access cellular services ofthe particular MNO 114. The sales order can include an indication at aneSIM 208 activation option is selected. As a result, subsequently at722, a retail sales channel 714, e.g., an MNO sales channel or an OEMsales channel, can send a park order message to a device manufacturermanaged MNO services server 510, the park order message indicating thatthe reservation of an eSIM 208 for a mobile wireless device 102. Theretail sales channel 714, in some scenarios, can also provideinformation regarding the sales order to one or more MNO infrastructureservers 512. The park order message can include one or more identifiersassociated with the mobile wireless device 102, e.g., an internationalmobile equipment identifier (IMEI) value, an eUICC 108 identifier (eID)value, a device serial number, an MNO reference number, an eSIM 208ICCID value, a phone number, a public land mobile network (PLMN)identifier for the MNO 114, etc. After receipt of the mobile wirelessdevice 102, a user, at 724, can initiate setup and activation of themobile wireless device 102. At 726, a device setup process 702 in themobile wireless device 102 can send a device activate message to thedevice manufacturer managed MNO services server 510. Communication withthe MNO services server 510 for device activation and authentication canbe accomplished using the limited functionality pSIM included in themobile wireless device 102. In some embodiments, use of the limitedfunctionality pSIM included in the mobile wireless device 102 can berestricted at first to communicating with the MNO services server 510.At 728, the MNO services server 510 can send a find park order messageto an MNO infrastructure server 512, where the find parked order messagecan include one or more identifiers for the mobile wireless device 102,e.g., an IMEI value, an EID value, a device serial number, an MNOreference number, to locate the parked order for the mobile wirelessdevice 102. The MNO infrastructure server can respond with status of theparked order for the mobile wireless device 102. Subsequently, at 730and 732, the MNO services server 510 can perform an authenticationprocess with the mobile wireless device 102 and with corresponding MNOinfrastructure servers 512. At 734, the MNO services server 510 obtainsfrom the device services server 508 the ICCID value for the limitedfunctionality pSIM included in the mobile wireless device at the time ofmanufacture (previously obtained by the device services server 508 fromthe OEM manufacturing facility 712). At 736, the MNO services server 510queries an MNO infrastructure server 512 to determine whether thelimited functionality pSIM identified by the ICCID value is in a warmstate, i.e., able to be used as a limited functionality pSIM forprovisioning and activation of an eSIM 208 for the mobile wirelessdevice 102, or in another state, e.g., not provisioned, already activeas a hot SIM, etc. Checking for the status of the pSIM can be based oni) a message, received from an MNO entitlement server, directly orindirectly indicating whether the presently installed pSIM is in a warmstate, ii) a protocol handshake with the MNO entitlement server todetermine whether the pSIM is a warm SIM, iii) a getAuthenticationmessage, iv) a dedicated (in some scenarios proprietary) applicationprogramming interface (API) on the MNO entitlement server that providesinformation about the pSIM, and/or v) a special “warm” code provided bythe MNO entitlement server for the pSIM after authentication at 732based on credentials from the pSIM succeeds.

In some scenarios, when the MNO entitlement server indicates that thepSIM is in an active (hot) state with full functionality, the eSIM 208can be installed using the credentials of the active pSIM in a normalflow (not shown). In some scenarios, when the MNO entitlement serverindicates the pSIM is in a cold (non-functional) state, a user of themobile wireless device 102 can be prompted to establish an alternateconnection, e.g., via a wireless local area network, as the cold pSIMcannot provide a connection (not shown). When using a fully functionalpSIM connection to download and install the eSIM 208, a user interfaceregarding dual SIM dual standby (DSDS) capability can be allowed (notsuppressed) and the pSIM can remain enabled (i.e., not disabled asdiscussed further herein for the limited functionality pSIM) afterinstallation and activation of the eSIM 208. When using a wireless localarea network connection (with no pSIM connection possible) to downloadand install the eSIM 208, a user interface regarding DSDS capability canbe suppressed.

When a response from the MNO infrastructure server indicates the pSIM isin a warm state, the MNO services server 510, at 738, sends a messagewith eSIM installation information to the mobile wireless device 102,e.g., to the device setup process 702, which forwards the message to acellular plan management process 704. The message from the MNO servicesserver 510 at 738 can also include the pSIM ICCID value for the limitedfunctionality pSIM installed in the mobile wireless device at the timeof manufacture. At 740, the cellular plan management process 704 of themobile wireless device 102 determines that no non-cellular wirelessaccess is available, e.g., no Wi-Fi network is available for activation,and that the pSIM ICCID for the limited functionality pSIM installed inthe mobile wireless device 102 at the time of manufacture matches anICCID value for the pSIM installed in the mobile wireless device 102.This matching can confirm that the UICC 118 (pSIM card) installed at thetime of manufacture has not been replaced by a different pSIM card. Whenthe conditions at 740 are satisfied, the cellular plan managementprocess 704, at 742, can indicate to a data layer process 708 toestablish an over-the-air (OTA) cellular wireless connection to use forprovisioning and activation of the previously reserved eSIM 208 for themobile wireless device 102.

At 752, the cellular plan management process 704 can initiate anactivation process for the eSIM 208. At 754, the cellular planmanagement process 704 can establish the OTA connection to a specificMNO activation access point name (APN), the OTA connection establishedvia the data layer process 708 and baseband layer process 710. In someembodiments, the cellular plan management process 704 obtains the MNOactivation APN as part of the eSIM installation information receivedpreviously from the device manufacturer managed MNO services server 510.At 756, the cellular plan management process 704 obtains from the devicemanufacturer managed device services server 508 device profiles pendingfor the mobile wireless device 102 via the established OTA connection.At 758, the cellular plan management process 704 downloads from the MNOprovisioning server 116 the eSIM reserved previously for the mobilewireless device 102 based on the sales order. After successfulinstallation of the eSIM concludes at 760, the mobile wireless device102, at 762, can suppress user interface (UI) processes for dual SIMdual standby (DSDS) configuration based on re-checking that thepresently installed pSIM ICCID value matches the previously installed(at the time of manufacture) limited functionality pSIM ICCID value. Thelimited functionality pSIM (without a fully functional pSIM enabled)plus fully functional eSIM 208 does not provide a DSDS capability.Re-checking that the limited functionality pSIM card is still installedin the mobile wireless device 102 can ensure that suppression of theDSDS UI configuration process is warranted. In some scenarios (notshown) the limited functionality pSIM card may be replaced or upgradedto a fully functional pSIM card. If i) the user of the mobile wirelessdevice 102 replaces the limited functionality pSIM card (UICC 118) witha fully functional pSIM card (UICC 118) or ii) the user of the mobilewireless device 102 updates the limited functionality pSIM card toinclude a fully functional pSIM, then the DSDS configuration userinterface may be presented (not suppressed). At 764, the cellular planmanagement process 704 sends a message to the device services server508, via the OTA connection, the message indicating that the parkedorder for the eSIM 208 has been completed. The device services server508 can forward the message (or send a similar message) to the MNOservices server 510. The MNO services server 510 can forward the message(or send a similar message) to an MNO infrastructure server 512indicating completion of the parked order for the eSIM 208. At 766, thecellular plan management process 704 indicates to the data layer process708 to release the OTA connection. In some embodiments, communication ofthe parked order completion via the OTA connection (at 764) andsubsequent release of the OTA connection (at 766) occurs before (orwith) suppression of the DSDS UI configuration process (at 760).

As internal processes to propagate completion of the eSIM 208 activationmay incur some delay, the cellular plan management process 704 of themobile wireless device 102, at 768, can initiate a monitor mode todetermine when the mobile wireless device 102 can successfully attach tothe cellular wireless network of the MNO 114 using the credentials ofthe installed and activated eSIM 208. At 772, the baseband layer process710 can successfully attach to the MNO radio access network of the MNO114. At 774, an entitlement layer process 706 of the mobile wirelessdevice 102 can authenticate with the MNO cellular wireless network. Withsuccessful attachment and authentication using credentials of the eSIM208, the cellular plan management process 704 of the mobile wirelessdevice 102 can conclude, at 776, that the eSIM 208 has been successfullyinstalled and is activated in the MNO's infrastructure network servers512. As the successfully activated eSIM 208 provides cellular wirelessservice connectivity for the mobile wireless device 102, the cellularplan management process 704, at 778, can indicate to the baseband layerprocess 710 to disable the limited functionality pSIM, after which thelimited functionality pSIM can be unusable for establishing cellularwireless connections, including limited functionality connections.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate flowcharts 800, 850, 860 of an exemplary flowfor downloading, installing, and activating an eSIM 208 for a mobilewireless device 102 using either a non-cellular wireless capability,when available, or using a cellular wireless capability enabled by alimited functionality pSIM installed in the mobile wireless device 102at a time of manufacture. At 802, the mobile wireless device 102initiates a device setup process, which can include installation andconfiguration of one or more SIMs for the mobile wireless device 102. At804, the mobile wireless device 102 determines whether activation for apending SIM, e.g., an eSIM 208, will occur using a cellular wirelessconnection. Although the mobile wireless device 102 can include alimited functionality pSIM installed at a time of manufacture, thelimited functionality pSIM may not be required for activation of an eSIM208, such as when another communication path can be established.

When a cellular wireless connection will not be used, at 806, the mobilewireless device 102 initiates an eSIM 208 activation process via anon-cellular wireless connection. At 808, the mobile wireless device 102obtains installation information for an eSIM 208 accompanied by an ICCIDvalue of a pSIM installed in the mobile wireless device 102 at a time ofmanufacture. At 810, the mobile wireless device 102 downloads andinstalls the eSIM 208 via the non-cellular wireless connection. At 812the mobile wireless device 102 sends a notification to an MNO server viathe non-cellular connection that installation of the eSIM 208 on themobile wireless device 102 succeeded.

When a cellular wireless connection will be used, at 814, the mobilewireless device 102 determines, at 814, whether a usable pSIM card (UICC118) is installed in the mobile wireless device 102 and available to beused for establishing a cellular wireless connection. When no usablepSIM is available, e.g., the pSIM card slot is empty or houses anunusable pSIM card, the mobile wireless device 102, at 816, prompts theuser to establish a non-cellular wireless connection to continue withactivation of the eSIM 208. When a usable pSIM is available, the mobilewireless device 102, at 818, initiates the eSIM 208 activation processvia a cellular wireless connection. At 820, the mobile wireless deviceestablishes an over-the-air (OTA) cellular wireless connection to aspecific MNO activation APN associated with the eSIM 208 to bedownloaded to the mobile wireless device 102. At 822, the mobilewireless device 102 obtains eSIM installation information from a devicemanufacturer managed MNO services server 510 accompanied by an ICCIDvalue of a pSIM installed in the mobile wireless device 102 at a time ofmanufacture. At 824, the mobile wireless device 102 downloads andinstalls an eSIM 208 to an eUICC 108 included in the mobile wirelessdevice 102 using the OTA cellular wireless connection. At 826, themobile wireless device 102 notifies the MNO 114, e.g., by sending amessage over the OTA connection to the device manufacturer managed MNOservices server 510, that the eSIM was successfully installed on themobile wireless device 102. At 828, the mobile wireless device 102release the OTA cellular wireless connection.

At 830, the mobile wireless device performs a dual SIM setup process asdetailed further by flowchart 850 in FIG. 8B. At 852, the mobilewireless device 102 determines whether the mobile wireless device 102appears to be in a dual SIM mode, which can include a false detection ofa dual SIM mode when a limited functionality pSIM is present in themobile wireless device 102 with the downloaded and installed eSIM 208.When the mobile wireless device 102 is not in dual SIM mode, the dualSIM setup flow ends (and returns to complete the eSIM activation flow ofFIG. 8A). When the mobile wireless device 102 is in dual SIM mode, themobile wireless device 102, at 854, determines whether the presentlyinstalled pSIM ICCID value matches the previously installed (at the timeof manufacture) limited functionality pSIM ICCID value, e.g., bycomparing the pSIM ICCID value received with the eSIM installationinformation to the ICCID value of the actual pSIM presently installed inthe mobile wireless device 102. The limited functionality pSIM (withouta fully functional pSIM enabled) plus fully functional eSIM 208 does notprovide a DSDS capability. When the pSIM ICCID values match, the mobilewireless device 102, at 858, bypasses the dual SIM dual standby (DSDS)setup process, e.g., by not presenting DSDS user interface configurationscreens. When the pSIM ICCID values do not match, which can indicatethat the pSIM card installed in the mobile wireless device 102 is afully functional pSIM, the mobile wireless device 102 continues, at 856,with the DSDS setup process (the remainder of which is not shown).

After bypassing or completion of the DSDS setup process, the mobilewireless device 102, at 832, enters an eSIM monitoring mode, which isfurther detailed in FIG. 10 . At 834, the mobile wireless device 102determines that MNO eSIM back-end provisioning as completed, e.g., bysuccessfully attaching to the cellular wireless network of the MNO 114using credentials of the installed eSIM 208. At 838, the mobile wirelessdevice 102 executes a pSIM disablement process, as further described byflowchart 860 in FIG. 8B. At 862, the mobile wireless device 102re-checks whether the presently installed pSIM ICCID value matches thepreviously installed (at the time of manufacture) limited functionalitypSIM ICCID value, e.g., by comparing the pSIM ICCID value received withthe eSIM installation information to the ICCID value of the actual pSIMpresently installed in the mobile wireless device 102. When the pSIMICCID values match, the mobile wireless device 102, at 864, disables thepSIM, thereby rendering the pSIM unusable for establishing cellularwireless connections, including limited functionality connectionspreviously provided by the pSIM. When the pSIM ICCID values do notmatch, the mobile wireless device 102, at 866, refrains from disablingthe pSIM, as the pSIM may be a fully functional pSIM installed by theuser to replace the limited functionality pSIM after the eSIMinstallation has successfully completed. After completing the pSIMdisablement process, the mobile wireless device 102, at 840, canestablish an Internet data connection to an applicable Internet data APNto enable data connectivity for applications resident on the mobilewireless device 102.

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate diagrams 900, 920 for an alternative eSIMprovisioning and activation process with a limited functionality pSIMinstalled in the mobile wireless device 102. The alternative process canbe used in some scenarios where the ICCID value of the limitedfunctionality pSIM installed at the time of manufacture is notavailable. The mobile wireless device 102 can be assembled and packagedat an OEM manufacturing facility 712 to include the limitedfunctionality pSIM. In some embodiments, the limited functionality pSIMis restricted for use to a particular mobile network operator (MNO) 114or virtual MNO (VMNO), which can be associated with an MNO 114 thatmanages the physical wireless network. At 904, a user can initiate asetup and configuration process for the mobile wireless device 102,e.g., by interacting by a device user interface (UI) 902. At 906, thedevice UI 902 indicates to the cellular plan management process 704 tostart an installation process for provisioning and installing an eSIM208 to the mobile wireless device 102. At 908, the cellular planmanagement process 704 determines whether the pSIM presently installedon the pSIM card (UICC 118) of the mobile wireless device 102 is an MNOSIM in a warm state, i.e., able to be used as a limited functionalitypSIM for provisioning and activation of an eSIM 208 for the mobilewireless device 102, or in another state, e.g., not provisioned, alreadyactive as a hot SIM, etc. In some embodiments, the cellular planmanagement process 704, at 908, determines whether the pSIM presentlyinstalled is associated with a particular MNO (or VMNO) and based oninformation in a carrier bundle pre-installed (or downloaded from adevice manufacturer managed server) on the mobile wireless device 102 isconfigured as a limited functionality pSIM. The cellular plan managementprocess 704, at 910, can confirm that the presently installed pSIM is awarm pSIM by querying an entitlement server associated with theparticular MNO 114, (where the entitlement server can be one of the MNOinfrastructure servers 512). In some embodiments, the MNO entitlementserver returns a message that directly or indirectly indicates whetherthe presently installed pSIM is in a warm state. In some embodiments,the mobile wireless device 102 uses a protocol handshake with the MNOentitlement server to determine whether the pSIM is a warm SIM. In someembodiments, the query and response includes a getAuthenticationmessage. In some embodiments, a dedicated application programminginterface (API) on the MNO entitlement server provides information aboutthe pSIM. In some embodiments, a special “warm” code is provided by theentitlement server for the pSIM after authentication using credentialsfrom the pSIM passes. After confirming the warm state status, thecellular plan management process 704, at 912, can indicate to a datalayer process 708 to establish an over-the-air (OTA) cellular wirelessconnection to use for provisioning and activation of an eSIM 208 for themobile wireless device 102. At 914, the cellular plan management process704 can initiate an activation process for the eSIM 208. At 916, thecellular plan management process 704 can establish the OTA connection toa specific MNO activation access point name (APN), the OTA connectionestablished via the data layer process 708 and baseband layer process710. At 918, the cellular plan management process 704 can retrieve, froma device manufacturer managed device services server 508 via the OTAconnection, information regarding profiles (e.g., eSIMs 208) pending forthe mobile wireless device 102. At 922, the cellular plan managementprocess 704 can provide information regarding the pending profiles forthe mobile wireless device 102. In some embodiments, a user selects aprofile (eSIM 208) for downloading an installation on the mobilewireless device 102 based on the presented information. At 924, thecellular plan management process 704 downloads and installs an eSIM 208from an MNO provisioning server 116 via the OTA connection. At 926, thecellular plan management process 704 determines that the eSIMinstallation was successful, and at 928, the cellular plan managementprocess 704 indicates to the data layer process 708 to release the OTAconnection. At 930, the cellular plan management process 704 cansuppress UI processes for DSDS configuration based on re-checking thatthe presently installed pSIM is the warm MNO SIM corresponding to theparticular MNO (or VMNO) for which the eSIM 208 was downloaded andinstalled, e.g., by re-checking information from the carrier bundle onthe mobile wireless device 102 using the presently installed pSIM ICCIDvalue, and also be querying the MNO entitlement server again. When thepresently installed pSIM is confirmed as the warm MNO SIM for theparticular MNO, the cellular plan management process 704 can indicate tothe baseband layer process 710 to disable the pSIM.

FIG. 9C illustrates a diagram 950 of an alternative dual SIM, dualstandby (DSDS) setup process that can be used to control whethersuppression of the DSDS process should occur. At 952, the mobilewireless device 102 determines whether the mobile wireless device 102appears to be in a dual SIM mode, which can include a false detection ofa dual SIM mode when a limited functionality pSIM is present in themobile wireless device 102 with the downloaded and installed eSIM 208.When the mobile wireless device 102 is not in dual SIM mode, the dualSIM setup flow ends. When the mobile wireless device 102 is in dual SIMmode, the mobile wireless device 102, determines whether severalconditions are satisfied to suppress the DSDS setup process. At 954, themobile wireless device 102 determines whether DSDS suppression issupported based on information in the eSIM MNO carrier bundle. At 958,the mobile wireless device 102 determines, whether the MNO identified bythe presently installed pSIM ICCID is included in a set of DSDSsuppression carrier bundle identifiers pre-loaded (or downloaded from adevice manufacturer managed server) on the mobile wireless device 102.At 960, the mobile wireless device 102 determines (by re-checking withthe MNO entitlement server for the MNO identified by the presentlyinstalled pSIM's ICCID value) whether the pSIM is a warm pSIM.Re-checking can be based on i) a message, received from the MNOentitlement server, directly or indirectly indicating whether thepresently installed pSIM is in a warm state, ii) a protocol handshakewith the MNO entitlement server to determine whether the pSIM is a warmSIM, iii) a getAuthentication message, iv) a dedicated applicationprogramming interface (API) on the MNO entitlement server providesinformation about the pSIM, and/or v) a special “warm” code provided bythe entitlement server for the pSIM after authentication usingcredentials from the pSIM passes. When any one or more of the conditionsat 954, 958, and 960 are not satisfied, the DSDS setup process continuesat 956 (remainder of which is not shown). When all conditions at 954,958, and 960 are satisfied, the mobile wireless device 102 at 962suppresses presentation of the DSDS setup process.

FIG. 10 illustrates a diagram 1000 of an exemplary monitor mode statemachine for initial activation of an eSIM 208 for a mobile wirelessdevice 102. At 1002, an eSIM 208 is installed and activated for a firsttime on a mobile wireless device 102. At 1004, the mobile wirelessdevice 102 initiates the monitor mode state machine and configures oneor more timers. At 1006, the mobile wireless device 102 monitorsregistration status for the mobile wireless device 102 to determinewhether the mobile wireless device 102 has successfully attached to anMNO cellular wireless network associated with the newly installed eSIM208. Activation of the eSIM 208 in all applicable servers of aninfrastructure network of the MNO 114 may require some time to complete,and as such attachment to an access portion of the MNO cellular wirelessnetwork cannot be guaranteed to succeed immediately after completion ofinstallation of the eSIM 208 at the mobile wireless device 102. At 1006,the mobile wireless device 102 can attempt to attach to an accessportion of the MNO cellular wireless network. Successful attachment tothe MNO cellular wireless network, indicated at 1022, causes the mobilewireless device 102 to exit the monitor mode with an attachment successindication at 1024. Attachment failure at 1006 causes the mobilewireless device 102 to remain in a monitor mode and upon expiration of atimer at 1012, the mobile wireless device 102 disables the eSIM(profile) 208 at 1014, waits for disablement of the eSIM (profile) 208to complete at 1016, subsequently re-enables the eSIM (profile) 208 at1018, and then waits for enablement of the eSIM (profile) 208 tocomplete at 1020 before re-attempting attachment of the mobile wirelessdevice 102 to the MNO cellular wireless network again at 1006. When themobile wireless device 102 has re-attempted attachment to the MNOcellular wireless network multiple times, and a maximum number of retryattempts is reached at 1008, the mobile wireless device 102 exitsmonitor mode with a failure indication at 1010. In some embodiments, themobile wireless device 102 provides an indication of attachment successand/or attachment failure, such as via a display of the mobile wirelessdevice 102.

The monitor mode state machine illustrated in FIG. 10 can compensate forpropagation delay between when an eSIM 208 completes installation on amobile wireless device 102 and when the MNO cellular wireless networkcompletes activation of the newly installed eSIM 208 (and deactivationof a previous eSIM 208 if applicable). The device manufacturer managedMNO services server 510, at 764 in FIG. 7B, indicates to the MNOinfrastructure server 512 that the eSIM installation is complete (andtherefore the mobile wireless device 102 can assume that the eSIM 208 isready for use); however, propagation of the eSIM installation completionthroughout the MNO cellular wireless network can take some matter oftens of seconds or up to several minutes depending on network loading.Attempting to attach to an access portion of the MNO cellular wirelessnetwork by the mobile wireless device 102 before propagation of the eSIMactivation completes can result in a non-access stratum (NAS) signalingmessage indicating a fatal rejection cause. As specifications for NASsignaling published by the 3^(rd) Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)can disallow re-attachment by a mobile wireless device 102 to the MNOcellular wireless network using the same credentials from the eSIM 208unless the mobile wireless device 102 is rebooted (or in the case of aphysical SIM card, after the SIM card is removed and re-inserted intothe mobile wireless device 102). Reboot of the mobile wireless device102, however, cannot occur in the midst of a device activation processas described herein. Similar to SIM re-insertion, the mobile wirelessdevice 102 can disable and then subsequently re-enable the eSIM 208,repeating as needed with back-off timers to delay each attempt untilsuccessful attachment occurs or a maximum number of retries is reached.

FIG. 11 illustrates a detailed view of a representative computing device1100 that can be used to implement various methods described herein,according to some embodiments. In particular, the detailed viewillustrates various components that can be included in the mobilewireless device 102. As shown in FIG. 11 , the computing device 1100 caninclude a processor 1102 that represents a microprocessor or controllerfor controlling the overall operation of computing device 1100. Thecomputing device 1100 can also include a user input device 1108 thatallows a user of the computing device 1100 to interact with thecomputing device 1100. For example, the user input device 1108 can takea variety of forms, such as a button, keypad, dial, touch screen, audioinput interface, visual/image capture input interface, input in the formof sensor data, etc. Still further, the computing device 1100 caninclude a display 1110 that can be controlled by the processor 1102 todisplay information to the user. A data bus 1116 can facilitate datatransfer between at least a storage device 1140, the processor 1102, anda controller 1113. The controller 1113 can be used to interface with andcontrol different equipment through an equipment control bus 1114. Thecomputing device 1100 can also include a network/bus interface 1111 thatcommunicatively couples to a data link 1112. In the case of a wirelessconnection, the network/bus interface 1111 can include a wirelesstransceiver.

The computing device 1100 also includes a storage device 1140, which cancomprise a single disk or a plurality of disks (e.g., hard drives), andincludes a storage management module that manages one or more partitionswithin the storage device 1140. In some embodiments, storage device 1140can include flash memory, semiconductor (solid state) memory or thelike. The computing device 1100 can also include a Random Access Memory(RAM) 1120 and a Read-Only Memory (ROM) 1122. The ROM 1122 can storeprograms, utilities or processes to be executed in a non-volatilemanner. The RAM 1120 can provide volatile data storage, and storesinstructions related to the operation of the computing device 1100. Thecomputing device 1100 can further include a secure element (SE) 1124,which can represent secure storage for cellular wireless system accessby the mobile wireless device 102, such as an eUICC 108 on which tostore one or more eSIMs 208 and/or a UICC 118 on which to store a pSIM.

Representative Embodiments

In some embodiments, a method for installing and activating anelectronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM) 208 for access to servicesof a mobile network operator (MNO) 114 by a mobile wireless device 102includes the mobile wireless device 102: i) sending, to a network-basedserver 510, a request activation message to initiate eSIM installationand activation; ii) receiving, from the network-based server 510,responsive to successful authentication of a user of the mobile wirelessdevice 102, an eSIM installation message indicating the eSIM 208reserved for the mobile wireless device 102 and a first ICCID value fora physical SIM (pSIM) installed in the mobile wireless device 102 at atime of manufacture; iii) determining whether the first ICCID valuematches a second ICCID value of a pSIM included in the mobile wirelessdevice 102; and when a) the first ICCID value matches the ICCID value ofthe pSIM included in the mobile wireless device 102, and b) anon-cellular connection is unavailable and cannot be established forprovisioning and activation of the eSIM 208: iv) establishing a secureover-the-air (OTA) cellular connection to an MNO provisioning server 116associated with the eSIM 208 via a limited functionality of the pSIM; v)obtaining, via the secure OTA cellular connection, the eSIM 208 from theMNO provisioning server 116; vi) installing the eSIM 208 on an embeddeduniversal integrated circuit card (eUICC) 108 of the mobile wirelessdevice 102; and vii) sending, to the MNO provisioning server 116, anindication of successful installation of the eSIM 208 on the eUICC 108of the mobile wireless device 102.

In some embodiments, the secure OTA cellular connection includes anaccess point name (APN) reserved for activation of SIMs associated withan MNO 114 associated with the mobile wireless device 102. In someembodiments, the method further includes the mobile wireless device 102,after i) successful installation of the eSIM 208 on the eUICC 108 andii) after successful attachment to cellular wireless network of the MNO114 via the eSIM 208, disabling the pSIM included in the mobile wirelessdevice 102. In some embodiments, disabling the pSIM includes renderingthe pSIM unusable for establishing cellular connections. In someembodiments, the method further includes the mobile wireless device 102,after successful installation of the eSIM 208 on the eUICC 103,bypassing presentation of a dual SIM setup process when the first ICCIDvalue matches the second ICCID value of the pSIM included in the mobilewireless device 102. In some embodiments, the eSIM installation messageincludes a network address for the MNO provisioning server 116 fromwhich to download the eSIM 208. In some embodiments, the method furtherincludes the mobile wireless device, when i) the first ICCID value doesnot match the second ICCID value of the pSIM included in the mobilewireless device 102 or ii) a non-cellular connection can be establishedfor provisioning and activation of the eSIM 208, presenting a prompt toa user of the mobile wireless device 102 to establish the non-cellularconnection, and subsequently obtaining and installing the eSIM 208 viathe non-cellular connection.

In some embodiments, a method for subscription activation of anelectronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM) 208 for a mobile wirelessdevice 102 includes one or more network-based servers 508, 510: i)receiving, from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) manufacturingfacility 712, a first integrated circuit card identifier (ICCID) valuefor a physical subscriber identity module (pSIM) installed in the mobilewireless device 102 at a time of manufacture, the pSIM associated with aparticular mobile network operator (MNO) 114; ii) receiving, from retailsales channel 714 associated with the particular MNO 114, a park ordermessage indicating an eSIM 208 reserved for the mobile wireless device102, the eSIM 208 associated with a second ICCID value; iii) receiving,from the mobile wireless device 102, a request activation message afterreceipt of the park order message; iv) querying an entitlement server512 of the particular MNO 114 to determine whether the first ICCID valuefor the pSIM installed in the mobile wireless device 102 at the time ofmanufacture indicates a warm SIM usable for eSIM activation; v) sending,to the mobile wireless device 102 after determining the pSIM is the warmSIM, an eSIM installation message indicating the eSIM 208 reserved forthe mobile wireless device 102 and the first ICCID value for the pSIM;vi) receiving, from the mobile wireless device 102, an indication ofsuccessful installation of the eSIM 208 on an embedded universalintegrated circuit card (eUICC) 108 of the mobile wireless device 102;and vii) sending, to an MNO infrastructure server 512, a complete parkedorder message indicating successful installation of the eSIM on theeUICC of the mobile wireless device, where the MNO infrastructure server512, responsive to the complete parked order message, activatessubscription service for the eSIM 208 for the mobile wireless device102, and the mobile wireless device 102 disables the pSIM aftersuccessful activation of the eSIM 208.

In some embodiments, the pSIM installed in the mobile wireless device102 includes a limited functionality SIM for establishing anover-the-air (OTA) cellular connection for activation of the eSIM 208for the mobile wireless device 102 via an access point name (APN)reserved for activation of SIMs associated with the MNO 114 associatedwith the mobile wireless device 102. In some embodiments, the eSIMinstallation message includes a network address of a provisioning server116 from which to download the eSIM 208. In some embodiments, the one ormore network-based servers 508, 510 include a device manufacturermanaged device services server 508 for communicating with mobilewireless devices 102 and a device manufacturer managed MNO servicesserver 510 for communicating with one or more MNO servers 512, 116.

In some embodiments, a mobile wireless device 102 includes wirelesscircuitry comprising one or more antennas, and one or more processorscommunicatively coupled to the wireless circuitry and to a memorystoring instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors,cause the mobile wireless device 102 to install and activate anelectronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM) 208 for access to servicesof a mobile network operator (MNO) 114 by at least: i) sending, to anetwork-based server, a request activation message to initiate eSIMinstallation and activation; ii) receiving, from the network-basedserver, responsive to successful authentication of a user of the mobilewireless device, an eSIM installation message indicating the eSIM 208reserved for the mobile wireless device 102 and a first ICCID value fora physical SIM (pSIM) installed in the mobile wireless device 102 at atime of manufacture; iii) determining whether the first ICCID valuematches a second ICCID value of a pSIM included in the mobile wirelessdevice 102; and when a) the first ICCID value matches the ICCID value ofthe pSIM included in the mobile wireless device 102 and b) anon-cellular connection is unavailable and cannot be established forprovisioning and activation of the eSIM 208: iv) establishing a secureover-the-air (OTA) cellular connection to an MNO provisioning server 116associated with the eSIM 208 via a limited functionality of the pSIM; v)obtaining, via the secure OTA cellular connection, the eSIM 208 from theMNO provisioning server 116; vi) installing the eSIM 208 on an embeddeduniversal integrated circuit card (eUICC) 108 of the mobile wirelessdevice 102; and vii) sending, to the MNO provisioning server 116, anindication of successful installation of the eSIM 208 on the eUICC 108of the mobile wireless device 102.

In some embodiments, the mobile wireless device 102, after i) successfulinstallation of the eSIM 208 on the eUICC 108 and ii) after successfulattachment to cellular wireless network of the MNO 114 via the eSIM 208,disables the pSIM included in the mobile wireless device 102. In someembodiments, disabling the pSIM comprises rendering the pSIM unusablefor establishing cellular connections. In some embodiments, the mobilewireless device 102, after successful installation of the eSIM 208 onthe eUICC 108, bypasses presentation of a dual SIM setup process whenthe first ICCID value matches the ICCID value of the pSIM included inthe mobile wireless device 102. In some embodiments, the mobile wirelessdevice 102, when a) the first ICCID value does not match the ICCID valueof the pSIM included in the mobile wireless device 102 or b) anon-cellular connection can be established for provisioning andactivation of the eSIM 208, presents a prompt to a user of the mobilewireless device 102 to establish the non-cellular connection andsubsequently obtains and installs the eSIM 208 via the non-cellularconnection.

In some embodiments, a mobile wireless device 102 includes wirelesscircuitry comprising one or more antennas, and one or more processorscommunicatively coupled to the wireless circuitry and to a memorystoring instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors,cause the mobile wireless device 102 to install and activate anelectronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM) 208 by at least: i)initiating an activation process for the mobile wireless device 102; ii)determining whether a first ICCID value of a physical SIM (pSIM)installed in the mobile wireless device 102 corresponds to a particularmobile network operator (MNO) 114 indicated in a carrier bundle includedin the mobile wireless device 102, where the particular MNO 114 supportseSIM activation via a limited functionality pSIM; iii) when the firstICCID value of the pSIM corresponds to the particular MNO 114, queryingan infrastructure server 512 of the particular MNO 114 to determinewhether the first ICCID value for the pSIM installed in the mobilewireless device 102 at a time of manufacture indicates a warm SIM usablefor eSIM activation; and iv) when a) the infrastructure server 512 ofthe particular MNO 114 indicates the first ICCID value for the pSIM isthe warm SIM and b) a non-cellular connection is unavailable and cannotbe established for provisioning and activation of the eSIM 208: v)establishing a secure over-the-air (OTA) cellular connection to an MNOprovisioning server 116 associated with the eSIM 208 via a limitedfunctionality of the pSIM; vi) obtaining, via the secure OTA cellularconnection, the eSIM 208 from the MNO provisioning server 116; vii)installing the eSIM 208 on an embedded universal integrated circuit card(eUICC) 108 of the mobile wireless device 102; viii) sending, to the MNOprovisioning server 116, an indication of successful installation of theeSIM 208 on the eUICC 108 of the mobile wireless device 102.

In some embodiments, the mobile wireless device 102, after successfulinstallation of the eSIM 208 on the eUICC 108, bypasses presentation ofa dual SIM setup process after reconfirming i) the first ICCID value ofthe pSIM installed in the mobile wireless device 102 corresponds to theparticular MNO 114 indicated in the carrier bundle, and ii) the firstICCID value of the pSIM included in the mobile wireless device 102indicates the pSIM is the warm SIM. In some embodiments, the mobilewireless device 102, after i) successful installation of the eSIM 208 onthe eUICC 108 and ii) after successful attachment to cellular wirelessnetwork of the particular MNO 114 via the eSIM 208, disables the pSIMincluded in the mobile wireless device 102. In some embodiments, themobile wireless device 102 disables the pSIM by at least rendering thepSIM unusable for establishing cellular connections.

Wireless Terminology

In accordance with various embodiments described herein, the terms“wireless communication device,” “wireless device,” “mobile wirelessdevice,” “mobile station,” and “user equipment” (UE) may be usedinterchangeably herein to describe one or more common consumerelectronic devices that may be capable of performing proceduresassociated with various embodiments of the disclosure. In accordancewith various implementations, any one of these consumer electronicdevices may relate to: a cellular phone or a smart phone, a tabletcomputer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a personal computer, anetbook computer, a media player device, an electronic book device, aMiFi® device, a wearable computing device, as well as any other type ofelectronic computing device having wireless communication capabilitythat can include communication via one or more wireless communicationprotocols such as used for communication on: a wireless wide areanetwork (WWAN), a wireless metro area network (WMAN) a wireless localarea network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN), a nearfield communication (NFC), a cellular wireless network, a fourthgeneration (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), and/or5G or other present or future developed advanced cellular wirelessnetworks.

The wireless communication device, in some embodiments, can also operateas part of a wireless communication system, which can include a set ofclient devices, which can also be referred to as stations, clientwireless devices, or client wireless communication devices,interconnected to an access point (AP), e.g., as part of a WLAN, and/orto each other, e.g., as part of a WPAN and/or an “ad hoc” wirelessnetwork. In some embodiments, the client device can be any wirelesscommunication device that is capable of communicating via a WLANtechnology, e.g., in accordance with a wireless local area networkcommunication protocol. In some embodiments, the WLAN technology caninclude a Wi-Fi (or more generically a WLAN) wireless communicationsubsystem or radio, the Wi-Fi radio can implement an Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 technology, such asone or more of: IEEE 802.11a; IEEE 802.11b; IEEE 802.11g; IEEE802.11-2007; IEEE 802.11n; IEEE 802.11-2012; IEEE 802.11ac; or otherpresent or future developed IEEE 802.11 technologies.

Additionally, it should be understood that the UEs described herein maybe configured as multi-mode wireless communication devices that are alsocapable of communicating via different third generation (3G) and/orsecond generation (2G) RATs. In these scenarios, a multi-mode UE can beconfigured to prefer attachment to LTE networks offering faster datarate throughput, as compared to other 3G legacy networks offering lowerdata rate throughputs. For instance, in some implementations, amulti-mode UE may be configured to fall back to a 3G legacy network,e.g., an Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) network or a CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000 Evolution-Data Only (EV-DO)network, when LTE and LTE-A networks are otherwise unavailable.

The various aspects, embodiments, implementations or features of thedescribed embodiments can be used separately or in any combination.Various aspects of the described embodiments can be implemented bysoftware, hardware or a combination of hardware and software. Thedescribed embodiments can also be embodied as computer readable code ona non-transitory computer readable medium. The non-transitory computerreadable medium is any data storage device that can store data which canthereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of the non-transitorycomputer readable medium include read-only memory, random-access memory,CD-ROMs, HDDs, DVDs, magnetic tape, and optical data storage devices.The non-transitory computer readable medium can also be distributed overnetwork-coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code isstored and executed in a distributed fashion.

Regarding the present disclosure, it is well understood that the use ofpersonally identifiable information should follow privacy policies andpractices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industryor governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. Inparticular, personally identifiable information data should be managedand handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorizedaccess or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearlyindicated to users.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specificnomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the describedembodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe specific details are not required in order to practice the describedembodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodimentsare presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the described embodiments to theprecise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill inthe art that many modifications and variations are possible in view ofthe above teachings.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for electronic Subscriber IdentityModule (eSIM) provisioning to a wireless device, the method comprising:by the wireless device: receiving, from a network-based server, an eSIMinstallation message indicating an eSIM reserved for the wireless deviceand a first ICCID value for a first physical SIM (pSIM) installed in thewireless device at a time of manufacture; determining whether the firstICCID value matches a second ICCID value of a second pSIM presentlyincluded in the wireless device; and when i) the first ICCID valuematches the second ICCID value and ii) provisioning of the eSIM isunavailable via a non-cellular connection: downloading, via a cellularconnection established via a limited functionality of the second pSIM,the eSIM from a provisioning server of a mobile network operator (MNO);and installing the eSIM on an embedded universal integrated circuit card(eUICC) of the wireless device.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: by the wireless device: sending, to the provisioning serverof the MNO, an indication of successful installation of the eSIM on theeUICC of the wireless device.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thecellular connection includes an access point name (APN) reserved foractivation of SIMs associated with the MNO.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising: by the wireless device: after successful attachmentto a cellular wireless network of the MNO via the eSIM, disabling thesecond pSIM included in the wireless device.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein: the eSIM installation message includes a network address forthe provisioning server from which to download the eSIM.
 6. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: by the wireless device: when the firstICCID value does not match the second ICCID value, presenting a promptvia a display of the wireless device indicating a requirement toestablish a non-cellular connection to obtain the eSIM.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, further comprising: by the wireless device: downloading theeSIM from the provisioning server of the MNO to the eUICC of thewireless device when a non-cellular connection is established.
 8. Amethod for electronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM) provisioning toa wireless device, the method comprising: by the wireless device:determining whether a physical subscriber identity module (pSIM)presently installed in the wireless device is in a warm state configuredto be used as a limited functionality pSIM for provisioning an eSIM tothe wireless device; when the pSIM is in the warm state: downloading,via a cellular connection established via a limited functionality of thepSIM, the eSIM from a provisioning server of a mobile network operator(MNO); and installing the eSIM on an embedded universal integratedcircuit card (eUICC) of the wireless device.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein the pSIM presently installed in the wireless device isrestricted for use with a particular MNO or virtual MNO (VMNO).
 10. Themethod of claim 8, wherein determination that the pSIM is in the warmstate is based on information included in a carrier bundle preinstalledin the wireless device at a time of manufacture or downloaded to thewireless device from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) managednetwork server.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein determination thatthe pSIM is in the warm state is based on receipt of a message from anentitlement server of the MNO responsive to a query sent by the wirelessdevice, the message indicating directly or indirectly that the pSIM isin the warm state.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein: the querycomprises a getAuthentication message; and the message from theentitlement server includes a warm code for the pSIM after successfulauthentication by the wireless device with the entitlement server usingcredentials from the pSIM.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein thecellular connection includes an access point name (APN) reserved foractivation of SIMs associated with the MNO.
 14. The method of claim 8,further comprising: by the wireless device: after successful attachmentto a cellular wireless network of the MNO via the eSIM, disabling thepSIM included in the wireless device.
 15. The method of claim 14 whereindisablement of the pSIM renders the pSIM unusable for establishingcellular connections.
 16. The method of claim 8, further comprising: bythe wireless device: bypassing presentation of a dual SIM setup processafter re-determining that the pSIM is in the warm state and correspondsto the MNO associated with the eSIM downloaded from the provisioningserver of the MNO.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein re-determinationthat the pSIM is in the warm state comprises receipt, from anentitlement server of the MNO responsive to a query sent by the wirelessdevice, of a message indicating that the pSIM is in the warm state. 18.A wireless device comprising: wireless circuitry comprising one or moreantennas; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to thewireless circuitry and to a memory storing instructions that, whenexecuted by the one or more processors, cause the wireless device toprovision an electronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM) for access toservices of a mobile network operator (MNO) by at determining whether aphysical subscriber identity module (pSIM) presently installed in thewireless device is in a warm state configured to be used as a limitedfunctionality pSIM for provisioning an eSIM to the wireless device; whenthe pSIM is in the warm state: downloading, via a cellular connectionestablished via a limited functionality of the pSIM, the eSIM from aprovisioning server of a mobile network operator (MNO); and installingthe eSIM on an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) of thewireless device.
 19. The wireless device of claim 18, whereindetermination that the pSIM is in the warm state is based on informationincluded in a carrier bundle preinstalled in the wireless device at atime of manufacture or downloaded to the wireless device from anoriginal equipment manufacturer (OEM) managed network server.
 20. Thewireless device of claim 18, wherein determination that the pSIM is inthe warm state is based on receipt of a message from an entitlementserver of the MNO responsive to a query sent by the wireless device, themessage including a warm code for the pSIM after successfulauthentication by the wireless device with the entitlement server usingcredentials from the pSIM.